HAROLD Shipman left Todmorden under the shame of drug abuse in 1976 - nowadays his drug hoarding seems likely to have been used for a more sinister purpose.

HAROLD Shipman left Todmorden under the shame of drug abuse in 1976 - nowadays his drug hoarding seems likely to have been used for a more sinister purpose.

Less than a month after the Preston Crown Court murder trial finished, fears grew Shipman began killing while in West Yorkshire.

Our February 24, 2000 we reported how West Yorkshire Police had started investigating one death after Kirklees Health Authority received four concerned calls.

By the end of June fears had risen sharply in Todmorden.

Labour MP Chris McCafferty openly came out in support of the victims relatives' campaign to get the forthcoming Shipman Inquiry in public.

She made her views know as the Todmorden News published a report into Shipman's unusually high death rates in the Yorkshire town.

"The fact that it is more than 25 years should not preclude a public inquiry from looking into deaths in Todmorden," the Calder Valley MP said.

"A lot of people in Todmoden will find it difficult to say that Shipman killed while he was in the town but a public inquiry would at the very least acknowledge that he murdered a large number of people."

The Todmorden News' three-month investigation uncovered Shipman signed eight death certificates during five days in 1975 - on January 21 he signed three in 24 hours.

Their findings were supported by the Department of Health's Baker Report, published the following year on January 5.

Prof Richard Baker's report said Todmorden is probably where Shipman first killed.

The report compared death rates at Shipman's practices with those of 10 other GPs working in the region.

It found that during his time in Todmorden, Shipman issued 22 death certificates - five in 1974 and 17 the following year. His were the highest figures.

The Calder Valley MP said at the latest revelations: "There are many people who thought Todmorden was safe and all the media and press attention, and indeed the previous inquiry, was in Hyde. So I think a loft of people today are surprised."

Four months later and Shipman was escorted from Frankland Prison back to Yorkshire.

Murder squad investigators hauled the condemned medic back for two days of questioning, in respect of nine suspicious deaths.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the interview came after 'a complete and thorough investigation'.